THE Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas has ordered Cebu City Councilor James Cuenco to answer accusations about his involvement in the alleged misuse of the P3.5-million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocation of his father, former Cebu City south district congressman Antonio Cuenco.
His lawyer, Inocencio dela Cerna, said the official did not benefit a single cent from his father's pork barrel fund.
“There is nothing that the Ombudsman can rely on to pin against my client,” dela Cerna said.
The older Cuenco's PDAF allocation went to the Tony N' Tommy (TNT) Health Program, which gave medical assistance to less fortunate constituents in his districts. He was included in the complaint, but he was later cleared by graft investigators.
The Supreme Court (SC) upheld earlier the order of the Commission on Audit (COA) for Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) to return Cuenco's PDAF, which were intended for prescriptions and anti-rabies vaccines.
Non-existent
Auditors found that the funds went to non-existent patients through falsified prescriptions.
The ombudsman is also investigating Filomena delos Santos (former medical center chief), Josefa Bacaltos (former chief administrative officer), Nelanie Antoni (pharmacy chief) and Maureen Bien (hospital accountant, now finance chief).
Former TNT office employee James Yrastorza, in his affidavit, alleged that Councilor Cuenco, Manuel Tipgos and Wendell Villacin were the ones who conducted the transactions.
Councilor Cuenco, Tipgos and Villacin reportedly were the ones who operated the TNT office, which took over the responsibility of the VSMMC social worker in screening patients in 2002.
Yrastorza said he used to prepare, process and facilitate referrals of unknown and ghost patients, but no medicines were actually drawn from the pharmacy.
Eight doctors executed affidavits, saying their signatures in the prescriptions were forged.
But dela Cerna said Yrastorza came to his office and recanted his testimony against Councilor Cuenco.
“We asked (Yrastorza) if he has any knowledge about the direct or indirect participation of the now Councilor James Cuenco. He categorically stated he has no knowledge,” he said.